Kean student bids farewell to dorms
By Dominique Vinas
It’s every college student’s dream to live on campus and to have the full college experience that they see in movies. It’s fun at first but then, just like all other good things in life, it gets old. Marcia Calle, junior, argues that although she did enjoy living on campus in the residence halls, this year it was time for a change.
“I consider myself an adult now, with adult responsibilities, there’s too many rules on campus, and I want to enjoy my freedom,” said Calle. Freedom isn’t the only thing she gets to enjoy living off campus. There is less distraction, the opportunity to form closer bonds with her sorority sisters and last but not least, more money in her pockets.
She went from living in the dorms freshman year to commuting her sophomore year, to now living off campus and she finds this is the best fit. While living on campus was fun, the party life and constant activity was very distracting.
Commuting wasn’t a walk in the park for her either, especially with gas and toll expenses. Not to mention, the trouble of finding parking every morning, and not having the convenience of all the utilities Kean has to offer like she once did while living on campus. That being said, so far she has no regrets about the decision she has made to live in her apartment. She gets the best of both worlds, convenience and peace of mind.
Calle has a lot of expenses, car payments, sorority dues, food and much more. Moving off campus has saved her a chunk of money. This is why she feels so strongly about the benefits of switching from the dorms to an off campus residence. She currently lives with two of her sorority sisters, Kayla Melo and Andrea Iovino.
“I save up to 75 percent of my money living off campus than in the dorms,” said Iovino, who is from Massachusetts. “On top of that I will also get the benefit of having a New Jersey in-state tuition after six months.”
As for Calle, she is now paying $6,000 for 12 months, instead of $12,000 for two semesters, which is less than 12
complete months.
“It’s so much easier since we are currently juniors and we both have internships,” said Calle, “and I feel less distracted in my own apartment because I don’t really have any noisy surroundings and my roommates are always busy.”
Calle recommends teaming up with someone who knows a lot about off-campus life and getting a feel for it. She was fortunate enough to have a sorority sister who had already lived off campus for two years prior and was willing to take her and Iovino under her wing. They were able to find a nice apartment right on Morris Ave, about 5-8 minutes away from Kean.
“I would be more than happy to help assist any students looking to live off campus, I would definitely recommend it,” said Melo, senior. “It’s easier, more independent, and a great new learning experience for the transition into young adulthood.” She also plans to propose an idea to Residence Life to set up a program to help assist in finding better living arrangements off campus.